Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Floor plan for tiny house disguised as a shed
In many rural places, sheds up to 200 sq ft do not require building permits. This is my current thinking of a floor plan for a 10' x 20' tiny house disguised as a shed or small barn.
All windows would have lockable shutters. The window behind the couch would be covered by 2 barn doors on the outside. A wooden ramp would placed below the barn doors to suggest that a trailer, lawn tractor or boat could be driven up and stored inside. No waste piping would protrude from underneath the tiny house, indicating that it is not being used to live in.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Nemo pictures and thoughts on a 'stealth' tiny house
A couple of weeks ago, winter storm Nemo came through with high winds and dumped 30 inches of snow on my town. At least I know that my Sonoma Shanty is pretty solid, having survived both Sandy and Nemo! Here are a few pictures of my Sonoma Shanty under a blanket of snow.
I've been thinking of how to disguise a tiny house into looking like a small barn or shed. So here is my scenario: buy some land in a fairly isolated area of the country (NH for me), no utilities, forested with only a dirt road onto the property. The tiny house would only be used for about 6 weeks of the year, a month in the summer and a week each in the spring and fall. The design would have to offer some security in the form of shutters when it is not occupied. Since most towns allow storage buildings up to a certain square footage to be built without a permit, that would be the design goal. If the tiny house looked like a small barn and had no outward signs that it was occupied, there would be less likelihood of problems with the local town. So how to make the tiny house look like a small barn / shed? Maybe have a fake 2 piece barn door that slides on tracks on the short end of the house or just opens out with hinges on the top and bottom of the outside of the doors. When the barn door is open, a picture window is exposed on that end; when the door is closed, it just looks like a small barn. Make a ramp that runs up to the fake door so it looks like you can move a tractor or boat inside. You could even have a beam with block and tackle at the roof line like old barns have to raise hay. To top it off, have a cupola on top of the roof with a weather vane! Figure out how to make best use of the fewest number of windows. (1 in kitchen, 1 small horizontal casement in bathroom, 2 in main living area, 1 upstairs in loft). All windows on ground floor would need removable, lockable shutters. The windows should let in enough light, while still not looking like a house. Don't have any pipes coming out of bottom of the house (or hide / disguise them); or just use a bucket under sink and come up with some way to drain shower. Propane line would go through the side of the house, directly to kitchen stove from outside tank. Since the tiny house / barn would be permanent, the dimensions could be 10' x 20' or 12' x 20' in size for more space than the standard 8' width for trailers. Might have to forgo the small deck off the entry door; that would make it look too much like a house.
My plan would be to spend 3 to 4 weeks on site to build the tiny house and get it weather tight. Camp out in the beginning with a tent and canopy. Move inside when the roof goes on. Get a small generator to run power tools. Build on pier blocks, with 2 or 3 main support beams. Put 6 inches of gravel under the blocks to reduce frost heaving. Build the platform and insulate underneath with 12" fiberglass. Put screening on bottom of the platform to keep out critters and maybe ply scraps around the perimeter for rain splash. Would need to cover the platform with a tarp in rainy weather until roof is on. Build the wall sections about 8 feet long so they are easy to raise. Sheath the wall sections while on the deck, so everything is square when it goes up. The entry door, with deadbolt lock, would be along one of the 20' walls. Use Sonoma Shanty framing for the top plates and the roof. Build scaffold on each side with 2x4s for roofing work. Finish inside at my leisure. Rig up solar panel and batteries for power; store them inside house when not occupied.
What do people think?
I've been thinking of how to disguise a tiny house into looking like a small barn or shed. So here is my scenario: buy some land in a fairly isolated area of the country (NH for me), no utilities, forested with only a dirt road onto the property. The tiny house would only be used for about 6 weeks of the year, a month in the summer and a week each in the spring and fall. The design would have to offer some security in the form of shutters when it is not occupied. Since most towns allow storage buildings up to a certain square footage to be built without a permit, that would be the design goal. If the tiny house looked like a small barn and had no outward signs that it was occupied, there would be less likelihood of problems with the local town. So how to make the tiny house look like a small barn / shed? Maybe have a fake 2 piece barn door that slides on tracks on the short end of the house or just opens out with hinges on the top and bottom of the outside of the doors. When the barn door is open, a picture window is exposed on that end; when the door is closed, it just looks like a small barn. Make a ramp that runs up to the fake door so it looks like you can move a tractor or boat inside. You could even have a beam with block and tackle at the roof line like old barns have to raise hay. To top it off, have a cupola on top of the roof with a weather vane! Figure out how to make best use of the fewest number of windows. (1 in kitchen, 1 small horizontal casement in bathroom, 2 in main living area, 1 upstairs in loft). All windows on ground floor would need removable, lockable shutters. The windows should let in enough light, while still not looking like a house. Don't have any pipes coming out of bottom of the house (or hide / disguise them); or just use a bucket under sink and come up with some way to drain shower. Propane line would go through the side of the house, directly to kitchen stove from outside tank. Since the tiny house / barn would be permanent, the dimensions could be 10' x 20' or 12' x 20' in size for more space than the standard 8' width for trailers. Might have to forgo the small deck off the entry door; that would make it look too much like a house.
My plan would be to spend 3 to 4 weeks on site to build the tiny house and get it weather tight. Camp out in the beginning with a tent and canopy. Move inside when the roof goes on. Get a small generator to run power tools. Build on pier blocks, with 2 or 3 main support beams. Put 6 inches of gravel under the blocks to reduce frost heaving. Build the platform and insulate underneath with 12" fiberglass. Put screening on bottom of the platform to keep out critters and maybe ply scraps around the perimeter for rain splash. Would need to cover the platform with a tarp in rainy weather until roof is on. Build the wall sections about 8 feet long so they are easy to raise. Sheath the wall sections while on the deck, so everything is square when it goes up. The entry door, with deadbolt lock, would be along one of the 20' walls. Use Sonoma Shanty framing for the top plates and the roof. Build scaffold on each side with 2x4s for roofing work. Finish inside at my leisure. Rig up solar panel and batteries for power; store them inside house when not occupied.
What do people think?
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Tiny house interior mock-up
One of the reasons I built my SS shed was to get a feel for the amount of space inside when used as a tiny house. Today I made a mock-up of the inside using various pieces of furniture and scrap wood. All in all, I was surprised with the amount of room inside. I think this would be liveable for one person. (My SS is 8' x 14', and I reduced the wall height by 1' from the plans.)
To the right of the entry door is room for 2 chairs and a small table. A drop down table attached to the wall would make better use of the space.
At the rear on the same side, I put a 6' x 2.5' table to represent the kitchen area, complete with sink and range. There appears to be enough counter space to make meals. The plywood wall on the right side represents the bathroom wall.
To the left of the entry door, there is room for a couch. This is just a cushion from a piece of patio furniture. The plywood it is resting on is 8' long. If this were an actual tiny house, I would move the door to the long wall, about were the table and chairs are in the previous picture. I would put a big window where the door currently is, and put a pull out couch for sleeping against that 8' wall. That way if the couch was pulled out for someone sleeping, the door on the side would not be blocked for egress.
Between the couch and the bathroom wall I placed a cooler for visualization. I would use this space for a closet or storage area. It could also be part of the bathroom area, as a shower. For a tiny house, I would build a top loading, super insulated cooler into the kitchen cabinets. The top of the cooler would form part of the counter top.
I tacked up a couple of pieces of scrap plywood to represent the bathroom wall. The bathroom area is about 3' x 3'. If a shower is needed, the room could be designed as a wet bath.
To the right of the entry door is room for 2 chairs and a small table. A drop down table attached to the wall would make better use of the space.
At the rear on the same side, I put a 6' x 2.5' table to represent the kitchen area, complete with sink and range. There appears to be enough counter space to make meals. The plywood wall on the right side represents the bathroom wall.
To the left of the entry door, there is room for a couch. This is just a cushion from a piece of patio furniture. The plywood it is resting on is 8' long. If this were an actual tiny house, I would move the door to the long wall, about were the table and chairs are in the previous picture. I would put a big window where the door currently is, and put a pull out couch for sleeping against that 8' wall. That way if the couch was pulled out for someone sleeping, the door on the side would not be blocked for egress.
Between the couch and the bathroom wall I placed a cooler for visualization. I would use this space for a closet or storage area. It could also be part of the bathroom area, as a shower. For a tiny house, I would build a top loading, super insulated cooler into the kitchen cabinets. The top of the cooler would form part of the counter top.
I tacked up a couple of pieces of scrap plywood to represent the bathroom wall. The bathroom area is about 3' x 3'. If a shower is needed, the room could be designed as a wet bath.
Another view of the 'kitchen' from the bathroom area.
I also made a video of what the inside of my SS looks like.
In the future I plan to rig up some 12V LED lights, connected to my deep cycle marine battery. I will update this blog when that happens. I also want to purchase a solar panel and hook it up to charge my marine battery, as an experiment and learning experience.
I may also purchase a little Dickinson Newport wood stove to experiment with heating my shed.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Outlet box, caulking and loft
I've been busy with life and haven't had the chance to post for awhile. The following occurred over the past few weeks. Now that the weather is getting colder, I didn't want to have to keep the door open to get the power cord into the shed. I found this neat weatherproof box at HD and installed it on the front of the shed. I am using a power strip on the inside with multiple outlets and store the male plug inside the box. I still need to close up that hole to reduce drafts.
My wife has started decorating! She has already added a star to the front door and had me install a flag pole holder over the door. She has a flag for every season. Eventually I'll have to do a collage of all the flags hanging from the shed.
I continue to look for light when I am inside the shed, to find areas that need to be caulked. There are a number of small gaps where the roof panels meet the top plates on the sides and on the ends. These are areas where the 2x4 ends of the roof panels rest against the 2x6 top plates. I have been caulking from the outside surface to stop potential leaks and drafts.
Up until now, my loft consisted of two pieces of 8' long plywood, one 4' wide and the other 2' wide. This is a picture of what it looked like from sitting in a a chair next to the door. Since this structure will be used as a shed and not as a tiny house, this loft is too deep for easily storing and retrieving items.
So I cut the 8 foot lengths, so they would fit sideways in the shed. The 4' wide piece is now up against the rear wall as shown in the next picture, and the 2' wide piece will be in the middle of the shed, so I can have access to it from either side. (Please disregard the weed whacker hanging on the wall.)
The following picture was taken sitting in a chair under the rear loft and looking up at the roof. It gives an idea of the high ceilings that are possible with the SS design for a tiny house. (Disregard as well that horizontal 2x4. That will be one of the supports for my middle loft. I didn't feel like removing it just for this picture.)
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Exterior painting and ideas for pre-fab tiny house
Sorry, no pictures this week. I spent today applying the finish coat of exterior paint. I now have finished painting half of the exterior. I was delayed by a day, due to the heavy rains we had on Friday night. The good news is that the inside of my shed was bone dry after the rains. It looks like I did a good job on the roof!
I also bought a water tight exterior box to get power into my shed. The box will house a male plug; the wire will run through the wall to an outlet inside. I can then run an extension cord to the outside of my shed without having to leave the door ajar and let in the cold or rain.
I've been thinking of what it would take and how to go about building a prefab Sonoma Shanty. The idea would be to build the walls and roof in sections at home in my garage and then move them to the job site in a U-Haul truck. The walls and roof panels could be built on the floor inside a sheltered area, squared and exterior sheathing applied. A few inches of sheathing would extend beyond the edge, on one side of the panel to overlap the next panel. Windows would also be installed in the walls as they are being sheathed on the garage floor. I would have to figure out how wide and tall to make the walls, and still have them fit inside a rental truck, as well as being light enough for 2 men to carry. Having built the roof panels already for my SS shed, I know they are light enough in weight. The plan would be to install the footings, foundation beams and build the platform on site ahead of time. The platform would be insulated and covered with a tarp until the walls arrive. Then the rental truck would carry the walls and roof panels to the site. 2 men should be able to assemble the walls and roof panels over a 3 day weekend. Timber lock screws and battery powered drills would make quick work of assembling the walls and roof. The building would be wrapped in tar paper until the roofing and exterior siding could be applied. The walls and roof could be insulated and the interior finish applied as time permits on site.This structure could be used as a tiny house itself or as a storage shed for a tiny house or during the construction of a larger cabin.
I also bought a water tight exterior box to get power into my shed. The box will house a male plug; the wire will run through the wall to an outlet inside. I can then run an extension cord to the outside of my shed without having to leave the door ajar and let in the cold or rain.
I've been thinking of what it would take and how to go about building a prefab Sonoma Shanty. The idea would be to build the walls and roof in sections at home in my garage and then move them to the job site in a U-Haul truck. The walls and roof panels could be built on the floor inside a sheltered area, squared and exterior sheathing applied. A few inches of sheathing would extend beyond the edge, on one side of the panel to overlap the next panel. Windows would also be installed in the walls as they are being sheathed on the garage floor. I would have to figure out how wide and tall to make the walls, and still have them fit inside a rental truck, as well as being light enough for 2 men to carry. Having built the roof panels already for my SS shed, I know they are light enough in weight. The plan would be to install the footings, foundation beams and build the platform on site ahead of time. The platform would be insulated and covered with a tarp until the walls arrive. Then the rental truck would carry the walls and roof panels to the site. 2 men should be able to assemble the walls and roof panels over a 3 day weekend. Timber lock screws and battery powered drills would make quick work of assembling the walls and roof. The building would be wrapped in tar paper until the roofing and exterior siding could be applied. The walls and roof could be insulated and the interior finish applied as time permits on site.This structure could be used as a tiny house itself or as a storage shed for a tiny house or during the construction of a larger cabin.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Outside primed and broken window
Last Saturday, I nailed up the rest of the corner trim and finished priming the outside of my shed. It is starting to look more like a tiny house instead of a weathered shack!
When I went inside my shed Saturday morning, I was greeted with a cracked window. The crack was on the inside pane of glass; the outside pane was intact. The sash moves freely so it wasn't any settling that caused the crack. We had our first frost the night before, but the temperature inside the shed should not have gotten that low. I was bummed out. I'll have to contact Lowes about their warranty on windows. The sash is removable which is a good thing; I don't want to have to rip out the whole window.
With the trim on, I'm done with my table saw so I moved it back into the garage to free up space in the shed. Here is an interior view from the front door.
...and from the back wall.
For the next few weekends, whenever the weather is good, I will be painting the exterior with the finish coat of paint. After that I want to reposition my big loft into two smaller ones, one over the back wall and one across the middle of the shed, for easier access to the space. With the high roof, there is a lot of storage space up there!
When I went inside my shed Saturday morning, I was greeted with a cracked window. The crack was on the inside pane of glass; the outside pane was intact. The sash moves freely so it wasn't any settling that caused the crack. We had our first frost the night before, but the temperature inside the shed should not have gotten that low. I was bummed out. I'll have to contact Lowes about their warranty on windows. The sash is removable which is a good thing; I don't want to have to rip out the whole window.
With the trim on, I'm done with my table saw so I moved it back into the garage to free up space in the shed. Here is an interior view from the front door.
...and from the back wall.
For the next few weekends, whenever the weather is good, I will be painting the exterior with the finish coat of paint. After that I want to reposition my big loft into two smaller ones, one over the back wall and one across the middle of the shed, for easier access to the space. With the high roof, there is a lot of storage space up there!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Corner trim
Not a lot of activity to report this week, either. We have had a lot of rain and I was busy yesterday with my fall garden. I started applying the 1 x 4 pine trim on the exterior corners. First I put overlapping layers of tar paper on the corner, in case water gets behind the trim.
Then I cut the trim to match the 45 degree slope of the roof and nailed it over the tar paper. This should make for a moisture proof joint.
I also put some tar paper and a strip of siding under the door. There are a couple of drain holes on each side of the door and without siding there, the rain would splash up under the door. This should take care of that problem. Now I just need some dry weather next weekend, so I can finish applying the primer coat to my SS shed.
The weather is getting cooler now, so I have been keeping the door closed when working inside my shed. I have a lamp inside with a 75 watt bulb. It is amazing how much just that lamp warms up the inside of my shed.
In other news, Macy Miller has put together an extensive list of questions for tiny house builders and is publishing the results as FAQs on her site. There is a wealth of information there. I have linked to her Tiny Housers FAQ page at the top right of this blog.
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